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John Talbot
John Vito Talbot is the demigod son of Hecate, goddess of magic and necromancy, and Christopher Talbot - famous archeologist. Currently, he is a co-founder and leader of the Black Hounds; a secret police of goddess Hecate, created to resolve any problems connected with magic if you cannot count on Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. History John Vito Talbot was born on April 24th, 1990. From the very beginning, he was raised by his grandfather Franco. His father, Christopher, was quite renowned archeologist and has been spending lots of time in different countries, visiting new digging places and sharing his opinions about them. Despite that, he would frequently write letters to his son, share pictures of his new discoveries and, occasionally, send a small fossil to the boy’s collection. Grandpa Franco was, at that time, one of the most famous stage magicians in the world and would often show John amazing tricks involving cards and coins disappearing, flowers turning into balloons and guessing the numbers or names John has chosen. This made the young boy become enamored with illusion and magic tricks. He was trained by grandpa Franco since he was six and soon was able to perform complex tricks to amaze his friends and teachers at school. When John was twelve, he had a serious conversation with his grandfather. Over coffee, they've talked about the old Greek myths John enjoyed so much when he was younger. It was at that time when Franco decided to reveal the cards: John was a son of Greek goddess Hecate. At first, of course, the boy didn't want to believe it but then grandpa showed him true magic - it wasn't any illusion or sleigh-of-hand, it was actual sorcery. It turned out, Franco Mastino was Hecate's grandson and was using his abilities to shield himself and John from monsters. And so it begun - John's magical training. He has been practicing reading ancient texts, brewing potions, casting spells and learning more than he knew before about Greek mythology. In the meantime, after school, John enlisted in the local kickboxing club. It was there where he met Zack Rakan, whom he become sparring partners with. The boys quickly became friends but during summer vacation Zack had to leave for some kind of camp so John has been left with grandfather to practice more magic. One day, on those rare occasions when his father was at home, John found him and grandpa Franco arguing about him. Christopher wanted his son to become an intern for his benefactor, Delroy La Croix, who was responsible for Christopher's recent expeditions. Franco protested, saying that La Croix's influence will bring nothing but trouble on John. Despite that, Christopher handed John the application and told him to visit Mr. La Croix as soon as possible. Delroy La Croix turned out to be more than just a rich businessman. He was, in fact, a legacy of Hecate and an old friend of John's grandfather. He offered to teach the boy way more than just simple business tricks; he was going to teach him magic and shape him into the future voodoo priest who would spread his teachings all over the country. At first, everything seemed fine; John was both working as La Croix's assistant and learning secrets of voodoo and black magic. Nothing seemed out of ordinary and it was at that time when John learned that magic, like the world, is not only black and white and - if given a proper reason - breaking rules and use illegal ways to achieve goal may be the most effective. Because of his frequent trainings with La Croix, John's relationships with his grandfather gradually become worse. Franco wanted to persuade John to abandon the Dark Arts entirely but John believed this is also a way of magic, therefore it shouldn't be neglected. After one of his trainings, John was waiting for Mr. La Croix in his office. There, in a pile of papers, he noticed a file entitled Operation O. Out of sheer curiosity he read it and discovered the truth; Delroy La Croix was supplying the Titan Lord Kronos with his zombies, magical items and a specific drug called The Joker which was supposed to make demigods more open to suggestions and serve the Titans without hesitation. The plan also described detailed attack on the Olympian gods and the ultimate destruction of Mount Olympus. Then, Kronos was supposed to grant La Croix immortality and present him with his own army to locate and kill Franco Mastino, AKA Frank Talbot. Enraged, John stole the entire file and, by preparing very elaborate magical trap, set La Croix's office on fire. He then walked out of the office like nothing happened and, when the smoke started spreading, used the commotion to escape. John returned to his grandfather with Operation O file and resumed his magical training. He was, of course, using only White Arts however he didn't forget La Croix's teachings and searched for a way of utilizing them for the right path. Two years later, at 16, grandpa Franco introduced John to one of his friends - Fergus Stein, legacy of Vulcan. From that moment, John learned that it’s not only Greek gods who spread their influence but there have also been Roman ones leaving their mark on the world. Personality John comes off as a level-headed individual; in the face of danger or in a situation worthy of great amounts of stress, John keeps a small smirk etched upon his face. However, in spite of this, John does have his own moral code and despises people who pretend to be what they are not. John is a foul-mouthed cynic who pursues a life of sorcery and danger. His motivation has been attributed to an adrenaline addiction that only the strange and mystical can sate. He is also often called "Walking Trap for Trouble" by his close friends. He has a sarcastic sense of humor and tends to speak down to people around him; this is his way of making them do the physical work that he does not wish to do. He is a strong follower of consequentialism and believes that "the end justifies the means". He does, however, have a kind, caring side which, although barely shown, wins over many people. He is also very protective of those he cares about; when he learned that one of La Croix's zombies attacked his girlfriend, Theo, he tied him up and threw him out of the window (several times) despite the creature not feeling any pain. Despite his good traits, John is not above killing somebody if pushed and often warns people to never fully trust him. He claims to be dishonest and having complete lack of mortality, being able to sacrifice someone's health and/or life in order to complete his goals. John is extremely claustrophobic; it begun when, as a form of training from Papa La Croix, he was supposed to escape a small box filled with snakes. Since that day, he gets uncomfortable and may have attacks of panic, when trapped in an enclosed space. This may lead to his powers getting out of control and damaging everything in the vicinity. This also has connection to his second fear: insecurity about his own powers. John is really capable sorcerer who doesn't hesitate to use both White and Dark Magic to complete his goals. He does, however, has this guilt deep inside him that one day he may lose control and hurt people who put his trust in him. This forces him to often turn people down and undertake all the quests and jobs on his own. John is also concerned about death and is afraid of the Furies. During one of his jobs, he was forced to sacrifice several mortal lives in order to banish a daemon back to Tartarus. Afterwards, he was often visited and warned by the Kindly Ones that he already has his place reserved at the Fields of Punishment. The spirits of revenge were mocking him and trying to force him to commit more crimes in order to seal his fate. After mastering protective magic, John learned to lock his mind from the Furies' whispering but the hesitation in his heart still remained. Fatal Flaw John's most dangerous flaw is his inability to make choices. One could establish a connection through this to Hecate, being the goddess of crossroads; John constantly analyzes things, creates new possibilities, returns to the 'what-if-s' and the 'might-have-been-s'. He is always aware of possible dangers and worries how to handle them. He cannot let go of fear and realization that he can't always guarantee anyone absolute security. This may force him to pick an option which only seems to be the safe one but will ultimately result in sacrificing much more than other options would. Appearance John is a young, slightly unshaven man of average build with medium-length dark hair which tend to sometimes obscure his eyes. He has olive skin, prominent but pinched nose, large green eyes (a common trait of Hecate's children), which seemed to be a little feminine, and thin lips. Due to an accident, he cannot fully straighten the fingers of his left hand. John's usual clothing consists of a plain t-shirt, a black leather jacket, pair of running shoes, gray socks and jeans. He wears a necklace with three bear claws in it (a gift from his grandfather), a silver ring with green gem on his right index finger and two small earrings in each ear. Abilities Occult Knowledge: Stage Magic: John is a proficient illusionist, trained by his grandfather in the art of sleight-of-hand, misdirection, escapology and pickpocketing. This allows John to deceive his enemies without a need to utilize his actual magic abilities. Ancient Languages: John is able to understand and speak Ancient Greek and Latin, incorporating them into his incantations and magical rituals. He was also shown to understand selected words from Arabic and Russian, although he cannot speak those fluently. Keen Intellect: Hand-to-Hand Combat: Demigod Abilities Mystiokinesis: John, being the son of Hecate, is able to use the art of sorcery and witchcraft; he is able to sense and gather the energy around him (or “borrow” it from the gods by praying) in order to perform variety of reality-shaping effects. Most of the magic spells, however, require a special ritual to be performed in order to work. Also, usually there is a need to utilize magical items. Mist Control: As a son of Hecate, John is able to influence and control the Mist. This allows him to manipulate the perceptions of mortals and, to some degree, monsters. Some of his abilities connected with the Mist include: *'Illusion Creation:' By cloaking the mind with the Mist, John can cause targets to see, hear, touch, smell and/or taste things which do not actually exist or cause them to perceive things differently from what they truly are. *'Memory Manipulation:' To prevent mortals from seeing the immortal world, John is able to implant memories into the minds of others, which could either be pre-existing memories from someone else, or false memories created by him. *'Concealment:' John is able to use the Mist to direct the attention away from himself, rendering him unnoticeable. Particularly intelligent and observant people may develop immunity to this effect. Once a person becomes aware of a Concealment (i.e. a third party tell them), the effect disappears. *'Mist Travel:' Also known as Typhoportation; it allows John to merge into the Mist and use it as a medium of transportation. He can jump small distances without a problem; bigger travels require usage of a place where there is a large concentration of the Mist (i.e. the Stonehenge). Magical Items Weaknesses Vulnerability to Magic: Incantations and Gestures Dependency: Chronic Wound: Addiction: Lack of Weapon Proficiency: Despite being trained in hand-to-hand combat, John never received a proper training in handling weapons. He mostly uses his wits, fists and magic to deal with trouble. Low Stamina: Relationships Ethymology John originates from Hebrew Yohanan - "graced by God". Vito is an Italian masculine name, derived from Latin vita - "life". Talbot is a white-colored hunting dog breed. When used as a surname, it means "reward". Trivia Category:Males Category:Demigods Category:Greek Demigods Category:Children of Hecate Category:The Black Hounds Category:Joker's Creation